Our sneak preview of the Distrikt Hotel

The Distrikt (on the right, adjacent to the glass building) debuts on Monday.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to get a sneak peek at the brand new Distrikt Hotel in New York, which opens on Monday. Located across the street from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown West, a few blocks west of Times Square, the Distrikt joins an already-crowded hospitality scene in the city’s most touristed neighborhood: two other midrange hotels, a Four Points Sheraton and a Fairfield Inn, are literally next door. The building is as tall in floors — 33 — as it is wide in feet; that’s Manhattan for you.

The 155-room Distrikt is named for its theme: essentially, the diversity of New York City's various neighborhoods, or districts. Starting from the bottom of the building (Wall Street, TriBeCa, etc.) and ascending "uptown," the neighborhood changes every three floors, culminating with Harlem at the top. Other than the views, which obviously improve the more "uptown" you get, the themes manifest themselves in the artwork in the hallways and rooms. You can request which "neighborhood" you want to stay in.

For the first few months, you can book a room for as little as $129 a night, which would be a steal for almost any hotel in Manhattan, much less a brand new one with a little style and personality. Once the hotel gets rolling and rates normalize, the prices will obviously go a long way towards determining how good a deal the Distrikt is. You can be sure we'll be back to review it -- undercover, of course -- and give you our take once that happens. In the meantime, check out the pictures we snapped yesterday:

The queen bed in a standard room. The rooms will feature 37-inch flat-screens, iHome iPod docks, Frette bathrobes, and free high-speed Wi-Fi.If you've ever found yourself in a hotel room suddenly wondering why it didn't have a martini glass, the Distrikt might be the place for you.The bathrooms will feature Ecru bath products.Even the bag your New York Times will be delivered in is classy.The chandelier in the lobby is supposed to represent the Manhattan skyline.On the restaurant walls, the Distrikt's two prevailing motifs are interlaced with one another: althea flowers and New York City imagery.